Systems and methods for automatic assignment of flexible delivery work

ABSTRACT

Disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods related to automatically assigning temporary delivery workers to a delivery task. A method for automatically assigning temporary delivery workers to a delivery task comprises receiving a request to determine delivery tasks for temporary delivery workers from a user device, retrieving delivery tasks needing assignments from a database, each delivery task associated with a delivery location and a volume of parcels, and determining a number of permanent delivery workers needed based on a volume of parcels associated with each delivery task. The method further comprises retrieving permanent delivery workers and temporary delivery workers needing assignments from the database, each delivery worker associated with a feasible volume of delivery parcels, assigning the retrieved permanent delivery workers to the retrieved delivery tasks, assigning the retrieved temporary delivery workers to the retrieved delivery tasks needing assignments after the permanent delivery worker assignments.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to computerized systems andmethods for an automatic assignment of delivery task. In particular,embodiments of the present disclosure relate to inventive andunconventional systems relate to an automatic delivery task assignmentfor temporary delivery workers.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 16/578,752, filed on Sep. 23, 2019 (now allowed),the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

Fulfillment centers (FCs) encounter more than millions of products dailyas they operate to fulfill consumer orders as soon as the orders areplaced and enable delivery workers to pick up shipments. Operations forenabling delivery workers to pick up shipments may include assigning adelivery worker to a delivery task. Although currently existing FCs andsystems for assigning workers are configured to handle large volumes ofdelivery tasks, a common issue arises when a FC receives orders thatcannot be handled by delivery workers associated with the FC.

To mitigate such problems, conventional delivery assignment systems mayassign temporary delivery workers, for example, workers delivering on anas-needed basis (e.g., seasonally), to perform delivery tasks. Whilethese computerized systems attempt to assign delivery tasks in anefficient manner, the systems relied upon a human user to review a tableof expected and actual workload values and determine assignments oftemporary delivery workers to a delivery task. For example, a manager incharge of assigning delivery tasks may review an electronic documentlisting expected and actual workload of delivery tasks, including avolume of parcels for each delivery task, and determine whether or not atemporary delivery worker is required. The manager may then manuallyassign temporary delivery workers to unassigned tasks.

Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems for anautomatic delivery task assignment of temporary delivery workers.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an automaticdelivery task assignment method for temporary delivery workers. Themethod may comprise operations. The operations comprise receiving arequest to determine delivery tasks for temporary delivery workers froma user device, retrieving delivery tasks needing assignments from adatabase, each delivery task associated with a delivery location and avolume of parcels, and determining a number of permanent deliveryworkers needed based on a volume of parcels associated with eachdelivery task. The operations may further comprise retrieving permanentdelivery workers and temporary delivery workers needing assignments fromthe database, each delivery worker associated with a feasible volume ofdelivery parcels, assigning the retrieved permanent delivery workers tothe retrieved delivery tasks, and assigning the retrieved temporarydelivery workers to the retrieved delivery tasks needing assignmentsafter the permanent delivery worker assignments.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an automaticdelivery task assignment system for temporary delivery workers. Theautomatic delivery task assignment system may include one or more memorydevices storing instructions. The self-assignment system may alsoinclude one or more processors configured to execute the instructions toperform operations as discussed above.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions to executea method by a processor to automatically assign temporary deliveryworkers to a delivery task. The method comprises performing operationsas discussed above.

Other systems, methods, and computer-readable media are also discussedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplaryembodiment of a network comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B depicts a sample Search Result Page (SRP) that includes one ormore search results satisfying a search request along with interactiveuser interface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1C depicts a sample Single Display Page (SDP) that includes aproduct and information about the product along with interactive userinterface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1D depicts a sample Cart page that includes items in a virtualshopping cart along with interactive user interface elements, consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1E depicts a sample Order page that includes items from the virtualshopping cart along with information regarding purchase and shipping,along with interactive user interface elements, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary fulfillment centerconfigured to utilize disclosed computerized systems, consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart of process for automatically assigningdelivery tasks to occasional delivery workers, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4. Is an exemplary flow chart of a process for confirming temporarydelivery worker assignments, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several illustrative embodiments are described herein,modifications, adaptations and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to thecomponents and steps illustrated in the drawings, and the illustrativemethods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering,removing, or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description is not limited to the disclosedembodiments and examples. Instead, the proper scope of the invention isdefined by the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an automaticsystems and methods configured for assigning a temporary delivery workerto a delivery task. The disclosed embodiments provide innovativetechnical features that allow for automated temporary delivery workerassignment based on a volume of delivery parcels and an availability ofpermanent delivery workers. For example, the disclosed embodimentsenable transmission of a request for a delivery tasks assignment, enabledetermination of a number of permanent delivery workers needed for eachdelivery task, enable delivery assignment of permanent delivery workers,and enable automatic delivery assignment of temporary delivery workers.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a schematic block diagram 100 illustrating anexemplary embodiment of a system comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations is shown. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, system 100 may include avariety of systems, each of which may be connected to one another viaone or more networks. The systems may also be connected to one anothervia a direct connection, for example, using a cable. The depictedsystems include a shipment authority technology (SAT) system 101, anexternal front end system 103, an internal front end system 105, atransportation system 107, mobile devices 107A, 107B, and 107C, sellerportal 109, shipment and order tracking (SOT) system 111, fulfillmentoptimization (FO) system 113, fulfillment messaging gateway (FMG) 115,supply chain management (SCM) system 117, warehouse management system119, mobile devices 119A, 119B, and 119C (depicted as being inside offulfillment center (FC) 200), 3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A,121B, and 121C, fulfillment center authorization system (FC Auth) 123,and labor management system (LMS) 125.

SAT system 101, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that monitors order status and delivery status. For example, SATsystem 101 may determine whether an order is past its Promised DeliveryDate (PDD) and may take appropriate action, including initiating a neworder, reshipping the items in the non-delivered order, canceling thenon-delivered order, initiating contact with the ordering customer, orthe like. SAT system 101 may also monitor other data, including output(such as a number of packages shipped during a particular time period)and input (such as the number of empty cardboard boxes received for usein shipping). SAT system 101 may also act as a gateway between differentdevices in system 100, enabling communication (e.g., usingstore-and-forward or other techniques) between devices such as externalfront end system 103 and FO system 113.

External front end system 103, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables external users to interact with one ormore systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments where system 100enables the presentation of systems to enable users to place an orderfor an item, external front end system 103 may be implemented as a webserver that receives search requests, presents item pages, and solicitspayment information. For example, external front end system 103 may beimplemented as a computer or computers running software such as theApache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS),NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, external front end system 103may run custom web server software designed to receive and processrequests from external devices (e.g., mobile device 102A or computer102B), acquire information from databases and other data stores based onthose requests, and provide responses to the received requests based onacquired information.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, or a paymentsystem. In one aspect, external front end system 103 may comprise one ormore of these systems, while in another aspect, external front endsystem 103 may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server,database-to-database, or other network connections) connected to one ormore of these systems.

An illustrative set of steps, illustrated by FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E,will help to describe some operations of external front end system 103.External front end system 103 may receive information from systems ordevices in system 100 for presentation and/or display. For example,external front end system 103 may host or provide one or more web pages,including a Search Result Page (SRP) (e.g., FIG. 1B), a Single DetailPage (SDP) (e.g., FIG. 1C), a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D), or an Orderpage (e.g., FIG. 1E). A user device (e.g., using mobile device 102A orcomputer 102B) may navigate to external front end system 103 and requesta search by entering information into a search box. External front endsystem 103 may request information from one or more systems in system100. For example, external front end system 103 may request informationfrom FO System 113 that satisfies the search request. External front endsystem 103 may also request and receive (from FO System 113) a PromisedDelivery Date or “PDD” for each product included in the search results.The PDD, in some embodiments, may represent an estimate of when apackage containing the product will arrive at the user's desiredlocation or a date by which the product is promised to be delivered atthe user's desired location if ordered within a particular period oftime, for example, by the end of the day (11:59 PM). (PDD is discussedfurther below with respect to FO System 113.)

External front end system 103 may prepare an SRP (e.g., FIG. 1B) basedon the information. The SRP may include information that satisfies thesearch request. For example, this may include pictures of products thatsatisfy the search request. The SRP may also include respective pricesfor each product, or information relating to enhanced delivery optionsfor each product, PDD, weight, size, offers, discounts, or the like.External front end system 103 may send the SRP to the requesting userdevice (e.g., via a network).

A user device may then select a product from the SRP, e.g., by clickingor tapping a user interface, or using another input device, to select aproduct represented on the SRP. The user device may formulate a requestfor information on the selected product and send it to external frontend system 103. In response, external front end system 103 may requestinformation related to the selected product. For example, theinformation may include additional information beyond that presented fora product on the respective SRP. This could include, for example, shelflife, country of origin, weight, size, number of items in package,handling instructions, or other information about the product. Theinformation could also include recommendations for similar products(based on, for example, big data and/or machine learning analysis ofcustomers who bought this product and at least one other product),answers to frequently asked questions, reviews from customers,manufacturer information, pictures, or the like.

External front end system 103 may prepare an SDP (Single Detail Page)(e.g., FIG. 1C) based on the received product information. The SDP mayalso include other interactive elements such as a “Buy Now” button, a“Add to Cart” button, a quantity field, a picture of the item, or thelike. The SDP may further include a list of sellers that offer theproduct. The list may be ordered based on the price each seller offerssuch that the seller that offers to sell the product at the lowest pricemay be listed at the top. The list may also be ordered based on theseller ranking such that the highest ranked seller may be listed at thetop. The seller ranking may be formulated based on multiple factors,including, for example, the seller's past track record of meeting apromised PDD. External front end system 103 may deliver the SDP to therequesting user device (e.g., via a network).

The requesting user device may receive the SDP which lists the productinformation. Upon receiving the SDP, the user device may then interactwith the SDP. For example, a user of the requesting user device mayclick or otherwise interact with a “Place in Cart” button on the SDP.This adds the product to a shopping cart associated with the user. Theuser device may transmit this request to add the product to the shoppingcart to external front end system 103.

External front end system 103 may generate a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D).The Cart page, in some embodiments, lists the products that the user hasadded to a virtual “shopping cart.” A user device may request the Cartpage by clicking on or otherwise interacting with an icon on the SRP,SDP, or other pages. The Cart page may, in some embodiments, list allproducts that the user has added to the shopping cart, as well asinformation about the products in the cart such as a quantity of eachproduct, a price for each product per item, a price for each productbased on an associated quantity, information regarding PDD, a deliverymethod, a shipping cost, user interface elements for modifying theproducts in the shopping cart (e.g., deletion or modification of aquantity), options for ordering other product or setting up periodicdelivery of products, options for setting up interest payments, userinterface elements for proceeding to purchase, or the like. A user at auser device may click on or otherwise interact with a user interfaceelement (e.g., a button that reads “Buy Now”) to initiate the purchaseof the product in the shopping cart. Upon doing so, the user device maytransmit this request to initiate the purchase to external front endsystem 103.

External front end system 103 may generate an Order page (e.g., FIG. 1E)in response to receiving the request to initiate a purchase. The Orderpage, in some embodiments, re-lists the items from the shopping cart andrequests input of payment and shipping information. For example, theOrder page may include a section requesting information about thepurchaser of the items in the shopping cart (e.g., name, address, e-mailaddress, phone number), information about the recipient (e.g., name,address, phone number, delivery information), shipping information(e.g., speed/method of delivery and/or pickup), payment information(e.g., credit card, bank transfer, check, stored credit), user interfaceelements to request a cash receipt (e.g., for tax purposes), or thelike. External front end system 103 may send the Order page to the userdevice.

The user device may enter information on the Order page and click orotherwise interact with a user interface element that sends theinformation to external front end system 103. From there, external frontend system 103 may send the information to different systems in system100 to enable the creation and processing of a new order with theproducts in the shopping cart.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may be furtherconfigured to enable sellers to transmit and receive informationrelating to orders.

Internal front end system 105, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables internal users (e.g., employees of anorganization that owns, operates, or leases system 100) to interact withone or more systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments wherenetwork 101 enables the presentation of systems to enable users to placean order for an item, internal front end system 105 may be implementedas a web server that enables internal users to view diagnostic andstatistical information about orders, modify item information, or reviewstatistics relating to orders. For example, internal front end system105 may be implemented as a computer or computers running software suchas the Apache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services(IIS), NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, internal front endsystem 105 may run custom web server software designed to receive andprocess requests from systems or devices depicted in system 100 (as wellas other devices not depicted), acquire information from databases andother data stores based on those requests, and provide responses to thereceived requests based on acquired information.

In some embodiments, internal front end system 105 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, a paymentsystem, an analytics system, an order monitoring system, or the like. Inone aspect, internal front end system 105 may comprise one or more ofthese systems, while in another aspect, internal front end system 105may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server, database-to-database,or other network connections) connected to one or more of these systems.

Transportation system 107, in some embodiments, may be implemented as acomputer system that enables communication between systems or devices insystem 100 and mobile devices 107A-107C. Transportation system 107, insome embodiments, may receive information from one or more mobiledevices 107A-107C (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or thelike). For example, in some embodiments, mobile devices 107A-107C maycomprise devices operated by delivery workers. The delivery workers, whomay be permanent, temporary, or shift employees, may utilize mobiledevices 107A-107C to effect delivery of packages containing the productsordered by users. For example, to deliver a package, the delivery workermay receive a notification on a mobile device indicating which packageto deliver and where to deliver it. Upon arriving at the deliverylocation, the delivery worker may locate the package (e.g., in the backof a truck or in a crate of packages), scan or otherwise capture dataassociated with an identifier on the package (e.g., a barcode, an image,a text string, an RFID tag, or the like) using the mobile device, anddeliver the package (e.g., by leaving it at a front door, leaving itwith a security guard, handing it to the recipient, or the like). Insome embodiments, the delivery worker may capture photo(s) of thepackage and/or may obtain a signature using the mobile device. Themobile device may send information to transportation system 107including information about the delivery, including, for example, time,date, GPS location, photo(s), an identifier associated with the deliveryworker, an identifier associated with the mobile device, or the like.Transportation system 107 may store this information in a database (notpictured) for access by other systems in system 100. Transportationsystem 107 may, in some embodiments, use this information to prepare andsend tracking data to other systems indicating the location of aparticular package.

In some embodiments, certain users may use one kind of mobile device(e.g., permanent workers may use a specialized PDA with custom hardwaresuch as a barcode scanner, stylus, and other devices) while other usersmay use other kinds of mobile devices (e.g., temporary or shift workersmay utilize off-the-shelf mobile phones and/or smartphones).

In some embodiments, transportation system 107 may associate a user witheach device. For example, transportation system 107 may store anassociation between a user (represented by, e.g., a user identifier, anemployee identifier, or a phone number) and a mobile device (representedby, e.g., an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), anInternational Mobile Subscription Identifier (IMSI), a phone number, aUniversal Unique Identifier (UUID), or a Globally Unique Identifier(GUID)). Transportation system 107 may use this association inconjunction with data received on deliveries to analyze data stored inthe database in order to determine, among other things, a location ofthe worker, an efficiency of the worker, or a speed of the worker.

Seller portal 109, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that enables sellers or other external entities to electronicallycommunicate with one or more systems in system 100. For example, aseller may utilize a computer system (not pictured) to upload or provideproduct information, order information, contact information, or thelike, for products that the seller wishes to sell through system 100using seller portal 109.

Shipment and order tracking system 111, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives, stores, and forwardsinformation regarding the location of packages containing productsordered by customers (e.g., by a user using devices 102A-102B). In someembodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may request or storeinformation from web servers (not pictured) operated by shippingcompanies that deliver packages containing products ordered bycustomers.

In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may requestand store information from systems depicted in system 100. For example,shipment and order tracking system 111 may request information fromtransportation system 107. As discussed above, transportation system 107may receive information from one or more mobile devices 107A-107C (e.g.,mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or the like) that are associated withone or more of a user (e.g., a delivery worker) or a vehicle (e.g., adelivery truck). In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system111 may also request information from warehouse management system (WMS)119 to determine the location of individual products inside of afulfillment center (e.g., fulfillment center 200). Shipment and ordertracking system 111 may request data from one or more of transportationsystem 107 or WMS 119, process it, and present it to a device (e.g.,user devices 102A and 102B) upon request.

Fulfillment optimization (FO) system 113, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores information for customerorders from other systems (e.g., external front end system 103 and/orshipment and order tracking system 111). FO system 113 may also storeinformation describing where particular items are held or stored. Forexample, certain items may be stored only in one fulfillment center,while certain other items may be stored in multiple fulfillment centers.In still other embodiments, certain fulfilment centers may be designedto store only a particular set of items (e.g., fresh produce or frozenproducts). FO system 113 stores this information as well as associatedinformation (e.g., quantity, size, date of receipt, expiration date,etc.).

FO system 113 may also calculate a corresponding PDD (promised deliverydate) for each product. The PDD, in some embodiments, may be based onone or more factors. For example, FO system 113 may calculate a PDD fora product based on a past demand for a product (e.g., how many timesthat product was ordered during a period of time), an expected demandfor a product (e.g., how many customers are forecast to order theproduct during an upcoming period of time), a network-wide past demandindicating how many products were ordered during a period of time, anetwork-wide expected demand indicating how many products are expectedto be ordered during an upcoming period of time, one or more counts ofthe product stored in each fulfillment center 200, which fulfillmentcenter stores each product, expected or current orders for that product,or the like.

In some embodiments, FO system 113 may determine a PDD for each producton a periodic basis (e.g., hourly) and store it in a database forretrieval or sending to other systems (e.g., external front end system103, SAT system 101, shipment and order tracking system 111). In otherembodiments, FO system 113 may receive electronic requests from one ormore systems (e.g., external front end system 103, SAT system 101,shipment and order tracking system 111) and calculate the PDD on demand.

Fulfilment messaging gateway (FMG) 115, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives a request or response inone format or protocol from one or more systems in system 100, such asFO system 113, converts it to another format or protocol, and forward itin the converted format or protocol to other systems, such as WMS 119 or3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A, 121B, or 121C, and vice versa.

Supply chain management (SCM) system 117, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that performs forecasting functions.For example, SCM system 117 may forecast a level of demand for aparticular product based on, for example, based on a past demand forproducts, an expected demand for a product, a network-wide past demand,a network-wide expected demand, a count products stored in eachfulfillment center 200, expected or current orders for each product, orthe like. In response to this forecasted level and the amount of eachproduct across all fulfillment centers, SCM system 117 may generate oneor more purchase orders to purchase and stock a sufficient quantity tosatisfy the forecasted demand for a particular product.

Warehouse management system (WMS) 119, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that monitors workflow. For example,WMS 119 may receive event data from individual devices (e.g., devices107A-107C or 119A-119C) indicating discrete events. For example, WMS 119may receive event data indicating the use of one of these devices toscan a package. As discussed below with respect to fulfillment center200 and FIG. 2, during the fulfillment process, a package identifier(e.g., a barcode or RFID tag data) may be scanned or read by machines atparticular stages (e.g., automated or handheld barcode scanners, RFIDreaders, high-speed cameras, devices such as tablet 119A, mobiledevice/PDA 1196, computer 119C, or the like). WMS 119 may store eachevent indicating a scan or a read of a package identifier in acorresponding database (not pictured) along with the package identifier,a time, date, location, user identifier, or other information, and mayprovide this information to other systems (e.g., shipment and ordertracking system 111).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may store information associating one ormore devices (e.g., devices 107A-107C or 119A-119C) with one or moreusers associated with system 100. For example, in some situations, auser (such as a part- or full-time employee) may be associated with amobile device in that the user owns the mobile device (e.g., the mobiledevice is a smartphone). In other situations, a user may be associatedwith a mobile device in that the user is temporarily in custody of themobile device (e.g., the user checked the mobile device out at the startof the day, will use it during the day, and will return it at the end ofthe day).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may maintain a work log for each userassociated with system 100. For example, WMS 119 may store informationassociated with each employee, including any assigned processes (e.g.,unloading trucks, picking items from a pick zone, rebin wall work,packing items), a user identifier, a location (e.g., a floor or zone ina fulfillment center 200), a number of units moved through the system bythe employee (e.g., number of items picked, number of items packed), anidentifier associated with a device (e.g., devices 119A-119C), or thelike. In some embodiments, WMS 119 may receive check-in and check-outinformation from a timekeeping system, such as a timekeeping systemoperated on a device 119A-119C.

3^(rd) party fulfillment (3PL) systems 121A-121C, in some embodiments,represent computer systems associated with third-party providers oflogistics and products. For example, while some products are stored infulfillment center 200 (as discussed below with respect to FIG. 2),other products may be stored off-site, may be produced on demand, or maybe otherwise unavailable for storage in fulfillment center 200. 3PLsystems 121A-121C may be configured to receive orders from FO system 113(e.g., through FMG 115) and may provide products and/or services (e.g.,delivery or installation) to customers directly. In some embodiments,one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be part of system 100, while inother embodiments, one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be outsideof system 100 (e.g., owned or operated by a third-party provider).

Fulfillment Center Auth system (FC Auth) 123, in some embodiments, maybe implemented as a computer system with a variety of functions. Forexample, in some embodiments, FC Auth 123 may act as a single-sign on(SSO) service for one or more other systems in system 100. For example,FC Auth 123 may enable a user to log in via internal front end system105, determine that the user has similar privileges to access resourcesat shipment and order tracking system 111, and enable the user to accessthose privileges without requiring a second log in process. FC Auth 123,in other embodiments, may enable users (e.g., employees) to associatethemselves with a particular task. For example, some employees may nothave an electronic device (such as devices 119A-119C) and may insteadmove from task to task, and zone to zone, within a fulfillment center200, during the course of a day. FC Auth 123 may be configured to enablethose employees to indicate what task they are performing and what zonethey are in at different times of day.

Labor management system (LMS) 125, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores attendance and overtimeinformation for employees (including full-time and part-time employees).For example, LMS 125 may receive information from FC Auth 123, WMS 119,devices 119A-119C, transportation system 107, and/or devices 107A-107C.

The particular configuration depicted in FIG. 1A is an example only. Forexample, while FIG. 1A depicts FC Auth system 123 connected to FO system113, not all embodiments require this particular configuration. Indeed,in some embodiments, the systems in system 100 may be connected to oneanother through one or more public or private networks, including theInternet, an Intranet, a WAN (Wide-Area Network), a MAN(Metropolitan-Area Network), a wireless network compliant with the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n Standards, a leased line, or the like. In someembodiments, one or more of the systems in system 100 may be implementedas one or more virtual servers implemented at a data center, serverfarm, or the like.

FIG. 2 depicts a fulfillment center 200. Fulfillment center 200 is anexample of a physical location that stores items for shipping tocustomers when ordered. Fulfillment center (FC) 200 may be divided intomultiple zones, each of which are depicted in FIG. 2. These “zones,” insome embodiments, may be thought of as virtual divisions betweendifferent stages of a process of receiving items, storing the items,retrieving the items, and shipping the items. So, while the “zones” aredepicted in FIG. 2, other divisions of zones are possible, and the zonesin FIG. 2 may be omitted, duplicated, or modified in some embodiments.

Inbound zone 203 represents an area of FC 200 where items are receivedfrom sellers who wish to sell products using system 100 from FIG. 1A.For example, a seller may deliver items 202A and 202B using truck 201.Item 202A may represent a single item large enough to occupy its ownshipping pallet, while item 202B may represent a set of items that arestacked together on the same pallet to save space.

A worker will receive the items in inbound zone 203 and may optionallycheck the items for damage and correctness using a computer system (notpictured). For example, the worker may use a computer system to comparethe quantity of items 202A and 202B to an ordered quantity of items. Ifthe quantity does not match, that worker may refuse one or more of items202A or 202B. If the quantity does match, the worker may move thoseitems (using, e.g., a dolly, a handtruck, a forklift, or manually) tobuffer zone 205. Buffer zone 205 may be a temporary storage area foritems that are not currently needed in the picking zone, for example,because there is a high enough quantity of that item in the picking zoneto satisfy forecasted demand. In some embodiments, forklifts 206 operateto move items around buffer zone 205 and between inbound zone 203 anddrop zone 207. If there is a need for items 202A or 202B in the pickingzone (e.g., because of forecasted demand), a forklift may move items202A or 202B to drop zone 207.

Drop zone 207 may be an area of FC 200 that stores items before they aremoved to picking zone 209. A worker assigned to the picking task (a“picker”) may approach items 202A and 202B in the picking zone, scan abarcode for the picking zone, and scan barcodes associated with items202A and 202B using a mobile device (e.g., device 119B). The picker maythen take the item to picking zone 209 (e.g., by placing it on a cart orcarrying it).

Picking zone 209 may be an area of FC 200 where items 208 are stored onstorage units 210. In some embodiments, storage units 210 may compriseone or more of physical shelving, bookshelves, boxes, totes,refrigerators, freezers, cold stores, or the like. In some embodiments,picking zone 209 may be organized into multiple floors. In someembodiments, workers or machines may move items into picking zone 209 inmultiple ways, including, for example, a forklift, an elevator, aconveyor belt, a cart, a handtruck, a dolly, an automated robot ordevice, or manually. For example, a picker may place items 202A and 202Bon a handtruck or cart in drop zone 207 and walk items 202A and 202B topicking zone 209.

A picker may receive an instruction to place (or “stow”) the items inparticular spots in picking zone 209, such as a particular space on astorage unit 210. For example, a picker may scan item 202A using amobile device (e.g., device 119B). The device may indicate where thepicker should stow item 202A, for example, using a system that indicatean aisle, shelf, and location. The device may then prompt the picker toscan a barcode at that location before stowing item 202A in thatlocation. The device may send (e.g., via a wireless network) data to acomputer system such as WMS 119 in FIG. 1A indicating that item 202A hasbeen stowed at the location by the user using device 1196.

Once a user places an order, a picker may receive an instruction ondevice 1198 to retrieve one or more items 208 from storage unit 210. Thepicker may retrieve item 208, scan a barcode on item 208, and place iton transport mechanism 214. While transport mechanism 214 is representedas a slide, in some embodiments, transport mechanism may be implementedas one or more of a conveyor belt, an elevator, a cart, a forklift, ahandtruck, a dolly, a cart, or the like. Item 208 may then arrive atpacking zone 211.

Packing zone 211 may be an area of FC 200 where items are received frompicking zone 209 and packed into boxes or bags for eventual shipping tocustomers. In packing zone 211, a worker assigned to receiving items (a“rebin worker”) will receive item 208 from picking zone 209 anddetermine what order it corresponds to. For example, the rebin workermay use a device, such as computer 119C, to scan a barcode on item 208.Computer 119C may indicate visually which order item 208 is associatedwith. This may include, for example, a space or “cell” on a wall 216that corresponds to an order. Once the order is complete (e.g., becausethe cell contains all items for the order), the rebin worker mayindicate to a packing worker (or “packer”) that the order is complete.The packer may retrieve the items from the cell and place them in a boxor bag for shipping. The packer may then send the box or bag to a hubzone 213, e.g., via forklift, cart, dolly, handtruck, conveyor belt,manually, or otherwise.

Hub zone 213 may be an area of FC 200 that receives all boxes or bags(“packages”) from packing zone 211. Workers and/or machines in hub zone213 may retrieve package 218 and determine which portion of a deliveryarea each package is intended to go to, and route the package to anappropriate camp zone 215. For example, if the delivery area has twosmaller sub-areas, packages will go to one of two camp zones 215. Insome embodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., usingone of devices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Routingthe package to camp zone 215 may comprise, for example, determining aportion of a geographical area that the package is destined for (e.g.,based on a postal code) and determining a camp zone 215 associated withthe portion of the geographical area.

Camp zone 215, in some embodiments, may comprise one or more buildings,one or more physical spaces, or one or more areas, where packages arereceived from hub zone 213 for sorting into routes and/or sub-routes. Insome embodiments, camp zone 215 is physically separate from FC 200 whilein other embodiments camp zone 215 may form a part of FC 200.

Workers and/or machines in camp zone 215 may determine which routeand/or sub-route a package 220 should be associated with, for example,based on a comparison of the destination to an existing route and/orsub-route, a calculation of workload for each route and/or sub-route,the time of day, a shipping method, the cost to ship the package 220, aPDD associated with the items in package 220, or the like. In someembodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., using one ofdevices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Once package220 is assigned to a particular route and/or sub-route, a worker and/ormachine may move package 220 to be shipped. In exemplary FIG. 2, campzone 215 includes a truck 222, a car 226, and delivery workers 224A and224B. In some embodiments, truck 222 may be driven by delivery worker224A, where delivery worker 224A is a full-time employee that deliverspackages for FC 200 and truck 222 is owned, leased, or operated by thesame company that owns, leases, or operates FC 200. In some embodiments,car 226 may be driven by delivery worker 224B, where delivery worker224B is a “flex” or occasional worker that is delivering on an as-neededbasis (e.g., seasonally). Car 226 may be owned, leased, or operated bydelivery worker 224B.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, computer-implementedsystem for providing a delivery assignment may comprise one or morememory devices storing instructions, and one or more processorsconfigured to execute the instructions to perform operations. In someembodiments, the disclosed functionality and systems may be implementedas part of one or more of transportation system 107 or SAT system 101.The preferred embodiment comprises implementing the disclosedfunctionality and systems on transportation system 107, but one ofordinary skill will understand that other implementations are possible.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart of process 300 for automaticallyassigning delivery tasks to occasional delivery workers, consistent withthe disclosed embodiments. This exemplary process is provided by way ofexample. Process 300 shown in FIG. 3 can be executed or otherwiseperformed by one or more combinations of various systems, but thepreferred embodiment comprises executing process 300 on transportationsystem 107. Each block shown in FIG. 3 represents one or more processes,methods, or subroutines in the exemplary method 300. Referring to FIG.3, exemplary method 300 may begin at block 310.

In step 310, transportation system 107 may receive a request todetermine delivery tasks for occasional delivery workers from a userdevice (not pictured). The user device is associated with a worker incharge of assigning delivery tasks. For example, a worker requestingdelivery task assignments for occasional workers 224B may include amanager associated with a fulfillment center 200. The request may betransmitted from internal front end system 105. The internal front endsystem 105, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1A, may enableinternal users (e.g., employees of an organization) to interact with oneor more systems in system 100.

In step 320, transportation system 107 may retrieve delivery tasksneeding assignments from a database (not pictured) storing the deliverytasks as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1A. The database isdescribed above as a database storing information from transportationsystem 107 for access by other systems in network 100. Each of theretrieved delivery tasks may comprise a delivery location and a volumeof parcels. The delivery location may comprise one or more neighboringdelivery destinations, wherein each destination is associated with avolume of parcels. For example, delivery destinations may comprise oneor more units in an apartment complex. Transportation system 107 maydetermine a delivery task based on a delivery destination associatedwith each delivery parcel. For example, transportation system 107 maygroup delivery parcels with same or close postal code and assign thegrouped parcels to a delivery task. Determination of delivery tasks mayfurther include considering a calculation of workload for each deliverytask, a time of day, a shipping method, a cost to ship the parcel, a PDDassociated with the parcels, or the like.

In step 330, transportation system 107 may determine a number ofpermanent delivery workers 224A needed. Transportation system 107 maydetermine the number of permanent delivery workers 224A needed bydividing a volume of parcels associated with each delivery task by afeasible volume of delivery parcels associated with a permanent worker224A. The feasible volume is identical for all permanent workers 224A.For example, if a volume of parcels associated with a delivery task is180 and a feasible volume of parcels that each permanent worker 224A canhandle is 50, then four permanent workers are needed to deliver parcelsassociated with the delivery task. By way of further example,transportation system 107 may adjust permanent workers needed to threesince it is more efficient to assign 30 remaining parcels to occasionaldelivery workers.

In step 340, transportation system 107 may retrieve permanent deliveryworkers 224A and occasional delivery workers 224B needing assignmentsfrom the database (not pictured). The transportation system 107, asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 1A, may receive a communicationfrom mobile device 107A-C including information about the delivery,including, for example, an identifier associated with the deliveryworker and store the information in a database (not pictured). Theidentifier may include an indicator providing status of delivery taskassignment associated with the delivery worker. The occasional deliveryworkers 224B may request a delivery task by using an associated mobiledevice 107A-C. Transportation system 107 may receive a delivery taskrequest from the occasional delivery worker 224B and store informationassociated with the occasional delivery worker 224B in a database asdescribed above. The delivery request may include a desired deliverylocation and a desired volume of delivery parcels.

Transportation system 107 may classify occasional delivery workers 224Bwith a status of loyal, new, or rolling. The status may relate to apriority in receiving delivery tasks for occasional delivery workers224B. Transportation system 107 may assign a loyal status occasionaldelivery worker to a delivery task before assigning a new statusoccasional delivery worker, wherein the new status occasional deliveryworker is assigned to a delivery task before a rolling status occasionaldelivery worker. Occasional delivery worker 224B may obtain a loyalstatus by performing delivery tasks over a predefined number. Until theoccasional delivery worker 224B reaches the loyal status, rolling statusis assigned to the occasional delivery worker 224B.

In step 350, transportation system 107 may assign the retrievedpermanent delivery workers 224A to the retrieved delivery tasks fromstep 320. Transportation system 107 may assign the determined number ofpermanent delivery workers 224A to a delivery task. However,transportation system 107 may assign a number less than the determinednumber from step 330 based on availability of the retrieved permanentdelivery workers 224A.

In step 360, transportation system 107 may assign the retrievedoccasional delivery workers 224B to the retrieved delivery tasks afterthe permanent delivery worker assignments in step 350. Transportationsystem 107 may calculate a volume of remaining parcels after thepermanent delivery worker assignments in step 350.

The calculation may comprise aggregating all feasible volumes ofdelivery parcels associated with the assigned permanent delivery workersto a delivery task and subtracting the aggregated feasible volume ofdelivery parcels from a volume of parcels associated with the deliverytask. For example, transportation system 107 may determine, as discussedabove, that three permanent delivery workers 224A should be assigned toa delivery task associated with 180 parcels (each permanent deliveryworker associated with handling 50 parcels for delivery). Transportationsystem 107 may then determine that the remaining 30 remaining parcelsshould be assigned to temporary delivery workers. Transportation system107 may then assign at least one retrieved occasional delivery worker224B to a delivery task. In some embodiments, transportation system 107does not assign an occasional delivery worker 224B to a delivery taskwhen there are no remaining parcels. The occasional delivery workerassignments may comprise assigning an occasional delivery worker 224B toa delivery task when a delivery location associated with the deliverytask is within a desired delivery location associated with theoccasional delivery worker 224B. For example, transportation system 107may assign two occasional delivery workers 224B to a delivery taskassociated with 30 remaining parcels, wherein each occasional deliveryworker 224B is associated with 15 desired parcels for delivery and adelivery location associated with the delivery task is within eachworker's desired delivery location.

Transportation system 107, after the assignments of temporary deliveryworkers in step 360, may confirm temporary delivery worker assignments.FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart of process 400 for confirmingtemporary delivery worker assignments, consistent with the disclosedembodiments. This exemplary process is provided by way of example.Process 400 shown in FIG. 4 can be executed or otherwise performed byone or more combinations of various systems, but the preferredembodiment comprises executing process 400 on transportation system 107.Each block shown in FIG. 4 represents one or more processes, methods, orsubroutines in the exemplary method 400. Referring to FIG. 4, exemplarymethod 300 may begin at block 410.

In step 410, transportation system 107 may transmit an assigned deliverytask to a mobile device 107A of a delivery worker 224B. For example,transportation system 107 may transmit a user interface providing adelivery location and a volume of parcels associated with a deliverytask to a mobile device 107A-C of a delivery worker 224B.

In step 420, mobile device 107A of the delivery worker 224B may acceptor reject the received delivery task sent in step 410 and transmitacceptance or rejection of the delivery offers by a user input on a userinterface in the mobile device 107A to the transportation system 107.For example, mobile device 107A may transmit acceptance of the deliverytask by capturing user input to transportation system 107.

In step 430, transportation system 107 may receive acceptance orrejection of the delivery task from mobile device 107A. For example,transportation system 107 may receive an acceptance, including adelivery related information, from a mobile application running onmobile device 107A.

In step 440, transportation system 107 may remove the assigned temporarydelivery workers from the database if the assigned temporary deliveryworker accepted a delivery task. By removing the assigned deliveryworker, transportation system 107 does not consider the assigneddelivery worker as delivery workers needing delivery tasks.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that thepresent disclosure can be practiced, without modification, in otherenvironments. The foregoing description has been presented for purposesof illustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally,although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described as beingstored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that theseaspects can also be stored on other types of computer readable media,such as secondary storage devices, for example, hard disks or CD ROM, orother forms of RAM or ROM, USB media, DVD, Blu-ray, or other opticaldrive media.

Computer programs based on the written description and disclosed methodsare within the skill of an experienced developer. Various programs orprogram modules can be created using any of the techniques known to oneskilled in the art or can be designed in connection with existingsoftware. For example, program sections or program modules can bedesigned in or by means of .Net Framework, .Net Compact Framework (andrelated languages, such as Visual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++,Objective-C, HTML, HTML/AJAX combinations, XML, or HTML with includedJava applets.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope of any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated bythose skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Thelimitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on thelanguage employed in the claims and not limited to examples described inthe present specification or during the prosecution of the application.The examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. Furthermore, thesteps of the disclosed methods may be modified in any manner, includingby reordering steps and/or inserting or deleting steps. It is intended,therefore, that the specification and examples be considered asillustrative only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims and their full scope of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automatic delivery task assignment method fortemporary delivery workers, comprising: receiving a request to determinedelivery tasks for temporary delivery workers from a user device;retrieving delivery tasks needing assignments, each delivery taskassociated with a delivery location and a volume of parcels; retrievingat least one permanent delivery worker and at least one temporarydelivery worker, each delivery worker associated with a feasible volumeof delivery parcels; determining a number of permanent delivery workersby dividing a total volume of parcels associated with the retrieveddelivery task by a total of feasible volumes of delivery parcelsassociated with the retrieved at least one permanent delivery worker;assigning the at least one permanent delivery worker to the retrieveddelivery tasks based on the determined number of permanent deliveryworkers; and if at least one retrieved delivery task remains unassigned,assigning the at least one temporary delivery worker to the at least oneremaining unassigned retrieved delivery task; and transmittinginstructions to at least one mobile device, wherein the instructionscause the at least one mobile device to display at least one assigneddelivery task.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving anacceptance of the delivery task from the at least one mobile device. 3.The method of claim 2, further comprising, upon receiving the acceptanceof the delivery task, removing an assigned delivery worker associatedwith the at least one mobile device from a database of availabledelivery workers.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the atleast one permanent delivery worker further comprises assigning thedetermined number of permanent delivery workers to a delivery task. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the at least one temporarydelivery worker further comprises: determining a volume of remainingparcels for each delivery task after the permanent delivery workerassignments; and assigning the at least one temporary delivery worker toa delivery task when the calculated volume of remaining parcels of thedelivery task is greater than zero.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereindetermining a volume of remaining parcels after the assignments furthercomprises: aggregating all feasible volumes of delivery parcelsassociated with the assigned permanent delivery workers to the deliverytask; and subtracting the aggregated feasible volume of delivery parcelsfrom a volume of parcels associated with the delivery task.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein assigning at least one temporary deliveryworker further comprises assigning the at least one temporary deliveryworker to a delivery task when a delivery location associated with thedelivery task is within at least one desired delivery locationassociated with the at least one temporary delivery worker.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising removing the assigned permanentdelivery workers and the assigned temporary delivery workers from adatabase.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein each temporary deliveryworker is associated with a status of loyal, new, and rolling, andfurther wherein assigning the retrieved temporary delivery workersfurther comprises: determining whether the at least one temporarydelivery workers is associated with the loyal status; assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of loyal; ifthe at least one temporary delivery worker is not associated with thestatus of loyal, then determining whether the at least one temporarydelivery worker is associated with the status of new; assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of new; ifthe at least one temporary delivery worker is not associated with thestatus of new, then determining the at least one temporary deliveryworker is associated with the status of rolling; and assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of rolling.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery location includes one ormore neighboring parcel destinations.
 11. An automated delivery taskassignment system, comprising: one or more memory devices storinginstructions; and one or more processors configured to execute theinstructions to perform operations comprising: receiving a request todetermine delivery tasks for temporary delivery workers from a userdevice; retrieving delivery tasks needing assignments, each deliverytask associated with a delivery location and a volume of parcels;retrieving at least one permanent delivery worker and at least onetemporary delivery worker, each delivery worker associated with afeasible volume of delivery parcels; determining a number of permanentdelivery workers by dividing a total volume of parcels associated withthe retrieved delivery task by a total of feasible volumes of deliveryparcels associated with the retrieved at least one permanent deliveryworker; assigning the at least one permanent delivery worker to theretrieved delivery tasks based on the determined number of permanentdelivery workers; and if at least one retrieved delivery task remainsunassigned, assigning the at least one temporary delivery worker to theat least one remaining unassigned retrieved delivery task; andtransmitting instructions to at least one mobile device, wherein theinstructions cause the at least one mobile device to display at leastone assigned delivery task.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein theoperations further comprise receiving an acceptance of the delivery taskfrom the at least one mobile device.
 13. The system of claim 12, whereinthe operations further comprise, upon receiving the acceptance of thedelivery task, removing an assigned delivery worker associated with theat least one mobile device from a database of available deliveryworkers.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein assigning the at least onepermanent delivery worker further comprises assigning the determinednumber of permanent delivery workers to a delivery task.
 15. The systemof claim 11, wherein assigning the at least one temporary deliveryworkers further comprises: determining a volume of remaining parcels foreach delivery task after the permanent delivery worker assignments; andassigning the at least one temporary delivery worker to a delivery taskwhen the calculated volume of remaining parcels of the delivery task isgreater than zero.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein determining avolume of remaining parcels after the assignments further comprises:aggregating all feasible volumes of delivery parcels associated with theassigned permanent delivery workers to the delivery task; andsubtracting the aggregated feasible volume of delivery parcels from avolume of parcels associated with the delivery task.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein assigning at least one temporary delivery workerfurther comprises assigning the at least one temporary delivery workerto a delivery task when a delivery location associated with the deliverytask is within at least one desired delivery location associated withthe at least one temporary delivery worker.
 18. The system of claim 11,wherein the operations further comprise removing the assigned permanentdelivery workers and the assigned temporary delivery workers from adatabase.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein each temporary deliveryworker is associated with a status of loyal, new, and rolling, andfurther wherein assigning the retrieved temporary delivery workersfurther comprises: determining whether the at least one temporarydelivery workers is associated with the loyal status; assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of loyal; ifthe at least one temporary delivery worker is not associated with thestatus of loyal, then determining whether the at least one temporarydelivery worker is associated with the status of new; assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of new; ifthe at least one temporary delivery worker is not associated with thestatus of new, then determining the at least one temporary deliveryworker is associated with the status of rolling; and assigning the atleast one temporary delivery worker to a delivery task if the at leastone temporary delivery worker is associated with the status of rolling.20. The system of claim 11, wherein the delivery location includes oneor more neighboring parcel destinations.